NFL top 5 performances from Sunday's slate: Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers dazzle in victories

There's still one more game on the NFL docket for Week 1 as the Minnesota Vikings travel to Chicago to battle Caleb Williams and the Bears, which can be on NFL Game Pass on DAZN (excl. US and China).

Sunday delivered many great performances. But DAZN News was able to narrow it down to five players who really stood out on the first Sunday of the NFL season.

Josh Allen

Going into the fourth quarter, it had been a pedestrian game for Allen. He'd only thrown for 143 yards and one touchdown pass. The Bills were down 15 with four minutes to go and were getting controlled by the Lamar Jackson-Derrick Henry tandem. 

Then a comeback for the ages occurred as Matt Prater kicked a 41-yard field goal to propel the Bills to a thrilling 41-40 victory and becoming the first team in NFL history to comeback from 15 points down in the final four minutes of a season opening game. 

But Allen was the catalyst.  He threw for 251 yards (career high for a quarter), threw one touchdown, and rushed for two more in the fourth. Overall, Allen, the reigning NFL MVP, went 33 of 46 for 394 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed 14 times for 30 yards and the two aforementioned rushing touchdowns. 

"It took everybody there. I'm just proud of our team for staying in it," Allen said after the game. "No one on the sideline blinked. I mean, down 15 points, whatever we were with five, six minutes left. Staying with it, fans leaving the stadium, you got to play this game for 60 minutes.

Aaron Rodgers

One of the key stories heading into Week 1 was which Aaron Rodgers would show up? Would it be the one who looked like he was on his last legs to open the 2024 season for the New York Jets? Or would the football world see the one who played like the old Rodgers in the last four weeks of last season?

We saw the latter on Sunday as Rodgers was in rare form, going 22 of 30 for 244 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to beat his old team, 34-32. 

"There were probably people in the organization that didn't think I could play anymore," Rodgers said after the game. "So, it was nice to remind those people that I still can." 

Even though he's 41 years of age, Rodgers still showed he's still one of the league's best with brilliant accuracy, slipping out of the pocket and slinging it down the field. Rodgers is back with a vengeance and point to prove. 

Daniel Jones

Who had this one on their bingo cards? Maybe Jones' family and people inside the Indianapolis Colts facility when he won the starting quarterback job over Anthony Richardson. 

Jones hadn't seen the field since being benched and eventually released by the New York Giants during last season. He had a chip on his shoulder, and Jones played like a man on a mission to the critics.

He quieted everyone for at least Week 1 by going 22 of 29 for 272 yards and three total touchdowns (one passing, two running) to lead the Colts to a 33-8 thumping of the Miami Dolphins. Jones was the first Colts QB in team history to throw for at least 250 yards and three total touchdowns. 

"I think I've learned over the years, it's a long 17-game season and you've got to play at a high level for the whole time," Jones said after the game. "So, a good start. I think we feel good about the start for sure, some things to clean up and work on, but I think everyone on our team's mature enough, knows enough, that we've got to continue to grow and improve. The best teams in the league continue to build on success."

Who doesn't like a redemption story as Jones looks to fulfill his potential after being the No. 6 pick overall in the 2019 NFL Draft?

Cincinnati Bengals Defense

Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins get all the attention, and rightfully so for the Bengals. The defense has always been an afterthought, as it's been much maligned and was blamed for the team missing the playoffs last season

The defense was the story and held up their end on Sunday in the Bengals' 17-16 win over the Cleveland Browns. Led by a new defensive coordinator from Notre Dame, Al Golden, the Bengals' defense showed up in the fourth quarter by holding the Browns scoreless and intercepting Joe Flacco twice to keep things in check and preserve the victory. 

Micah Parsons

All eyes were on Parsons heading into his Green Bay Packers debut against the Detroit Lions. After a turmoil-filled offseason, which resulted in him being traded by the Dallas Cowboys to the Packers. 

Parsons got a rousing standing ovation when he was introduced before the game. But how would he play, considering he didn't play in the preseason, and dealing with a back issue?

Playing mainly on third down and in pass-must situations, Parsons made an impact in having other Packer defenders being able to get to Jared Goff and force him to make than expected decisions in holding the reigning NFC North champions to only 13 points with seven of those points coming in garbage time. He did end up with a sack on Goff, much to the delight of Packer Nation. 

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